Evil or just.........mostly evil?

[werk]

Not necessarily, I am just not wiling to lay down my life for someone who gets themself into a certain death situation due to stupidity. If one of them is wounded in battle and dying, I will do everything I can to save them except put my own life in danger. I wont, however charge to their defense when they decide to attack a dinosaur rather that simply avoid it.

So you are not a search and rescue technician, you're more of a private physician with a closed practice. Search and rescue saves lots of stupid people all the time, risking their life in the process. Private physicians can choose who they treat, turning away whoever they please/whenever...

Which of the above occupations would exemplify 'good'? What would be the alignment of the other profession?

(no offense to any physicians or rescue EMTs out there, this is a farcical example, used only for illustration)

 

[Goldmoon]

So you are not a search and rescue technician, you're more of a private physician with a closed practice. Search and rescue saves lots of stupid people all the time, risking their life in the process. Private physicians can choose who they treat, turning away whoever they please/whenever...

Which of the above occupations would exemplify 'good'? What would be the alignment of the other profession?

(no offense to any physicians or rescue EMTs out there, this is a farcical example, used only for illustration)

I'm neither....I'm a Bard. I'm practical. I have no illusions about nobility but neither am I evil and malicious.

If you are talking to a co-worker out the window of your apartment building and he yells a racial slur to a group of 10 people across the street and they proceed to come across the street and beat him to death, are you going to jump in the fight and die beside your co-worker or is he on his own? Why die for someone else's stupidity?

I would like to make it known that is not me, just the way I role-play my Bard. I would gladly put my life on the line for any one in harms way. Thats part of who I am.

 

[werk]

I'm neither....I'm a Bard. I'm practical.

Pragmatic:
1. Dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical.
2. Philosophy. Of or relating to pragmatism.

Pragmatism:
1. Philosophy. A movement consisting of varying but associated theories...distinguished by the doctrine that the meaning of an idea or a proposition lies in its observable practical consequences.
2. A practical, matter-of-fact way of approaching or assessing situations or of solving problems.


So, yeah, CN.

 

[KarinsDad]

So you are not a search and rescue technician, you're more of a private physician with a closed practice. Search and rescue saves lots of stupid people all the time, risking their life in the process. Private physicians can choose who they treat, turning away whoever they please/whenever...

Which of the above occupations would exemplify 'good'? What would be the alignment of the other profession?

(no offense to any physicians or rescue EMTs out there, this is a farcical example, used only for illustration)

A 2nd level Paladin sees a Huge Dragon attacking some villagers. Does he intervene knowing that not only will he not save any villagers, but that he will quickly die and be unable to save other villagers down the road from Orcs?

The point is, martyrdom is really glamorous sounding, but even Good PCs have to choose between fighting today and living to fight another day. Good is not equal to stupid. A good PC should attempt to dissuade fellow "tactically challenged" PCs from making mistakes, but that does not mean that the good PC has to always defend another PC. He has to do what he thinks is good and sometimes that means the greater good (e.g. surviving to fight evil another day).

PS. Even Search and Rescue take all the precautions they can in order to both save lives and to not lose their own. They don't rescue "in a stupid and unsafe manner". The same smart decision making should be perfectly acceptable behavior for Good Aligned PCs.

 

[werk]

A 2nd level Paladin sees a Huge Dragon attacking some villagers. Does he intervene knowing that not only will he not save any villagers, but that he will quickly die and be unable to save other villagers down the road from Orcs?

I guess it depends on the paladin character's knowledge of dragons and the relative challenge that they would pose. A second level paladin probably would not know a whole lot about them, so probably should charge the dragon thinking that his diety will protect him and make sure that the day has the 'right' outcome.

What skill relates to knowledge about dragons? An ignorant paladin not charging a huge dragon attacking a town of innocents could be accused of metagaming at my table.

(probably not the answer you were after)

I agree, good does not equal stupid, but it does imply selfless.

 

[KarinsDad]

I guess it depends on the paladin character's knowledge of dragons and the relative challenge that they would pose. A second level paladin probably would not know a whole lot about them, so probably should charge the dragon thinking that his diety will protect him and make sure that the day has the 'right' outcome.

What skill relates to knowledge about dragons? An ignorant paladin not charging a huge dragon attacking a town of innocents could be accused of metagaming at my table.

So, Paladin School at your table does not include at least one class on the size of dragons and the size of the army required to take it out???

Or does the good deities at your table separate the wheat from the chaff with character knowledge limitations in such situations? A huge dragon is the size of a small house after all. Even a second level Paladin with an 8 Int should be able to figure out that a creature that can crush a barn in a matter of seconds will make sushi out of the Paladin.

(note: I purposely made the example one that even a novice player should be able to figure out as suicidal)

I agree, good does not equal stupid, but it does imply selfless.

Adventuring is risk and reward. Something that a CN Rogue PC with Int 10 would have no second thought on doing (like jumping over a pit or attempting to sneak attack a Giant), my LG Wizard PC with an Int of 20 will say "Sorry, I know my limitations plus I can calculate the odds of a reasonable chance of success".

One can be selfless and still preserve one's own life in desperate situations in order to continue goodly works in the future.

Selfless does not mean suicidal. It means to be more concerned with other's lives than your own. Nor does it necessarily mean looking at the current situation only. Looking at the big picture can also be important. Saving 100 people can be considered more important and more good than saving one, although attempting to save one is generally important as well.

 

[Goldmoon]

And just because Im not selfless does not mean I'm not good.

 

[silentspace]

i would've made the op neutral as soon as i figured out that the character only cared for herself. sacrificing someone else to save yourself is evil.

 

[silentspace]

And just because Im not selfless does not mean I'm not good.

sacrificing others to save yourself <> "not selfless"

 

[Artoomis]

And just because Im not selfless does not mean I'm not good.

Some degree of seflessness is pretty much required to be "good." Of course there is a sort of sliding scale for how good you are, so complete and total selfessness is only required for Exalted characters.